Hair Dryers : Question and Answer

A:

The best hair dryers will feature a combination of ceramic, ionic and tourmaline drying technology. Ceramic materials can be in the hair dryer's body, in its heater and/or coating its internal parts. They help to improve the dryer's heat distribution and thus reduce heat damage to the hair. Since hair has a naturally positive charge however, it is essential that a good hair dryer also feature an ionic generator. An ionic generator produces negatively-charged ions to neutralize hair's positive charge, which seals the cuticle, eliminates frizz and static and makes hair look smooth and shiny. The negative ions are also more effective at breaking down water molecules, so your hair dries faster than it would with just a ceramic hair dryer. Among ceramic ionic hair dryers, our favorite is the BaBylissPRO Carrera 2 (est. $60). If you can afford to spend a little more, hair dryers with tourmaline are considered to be the best because the tourmaline gemstone actually amplifys the effects of the ionic generator. Not only will your hair dry even faster, it will also be smoother and shinier. Among tourmaline hair dryers, our favorite is the Sedu Revolution Pro Tourmaline Ionic 4000i. In addition to drying technology, we would also highly recommend thinking about weight when shopping for a hair dryer, especially if you have long or thick hair. Heavy hair dryers will not only fatigue your arm muscles, but they can also put unnecessary stress on your wrist. For long or thick hair, you probably want to find a hair dryer as close to a pound as possible; otherwise 2 pounds or less should be fine for most people.